Fiddles on Fire 2011

Helmed by Kathryn Tickell in her first festival stewardship, the fourth bi-annual Fiddles on Fire Festival takes place from Friday 29th April until Sunday 1st May at The Sage, Gateshead, Newcastle upon Tyne.

Line-up

The festival features the fiddle in all its glory in a wide range of musical genres - from Northern Sinfonia's performance of Vaughan Williams's 'The Lark Ascending' to the English traditions of Dave Swarbrick and Martin Carthy; from the musical lunacy of The New Rope String Band to the energy of Cuban fiddler Omar Puente and strong fiddle singing traditions from England with Nancy Kerr and the USA with Laura Cortese.

Fiddles on Fire also sees a rare visit to the UK from Celtic Fiddle Festival: Kevin Burke (Ireland), Christian Lemaître (Brittany, France) and André Brunet (Quebec, Canada); and other festival firsts: new musical compositions from Kathryn Tickell performed by string players from across The Sage Gateshead's Learning and Participation programme - and also in the CREATE project where nine composers have produced short new works for a string quartet of players from Northern Sinfonia.

Tickets

Ticket prices vary depending upon event. To book tickets, click here.

For those who also want the chance to play the fiddle, there are workshops for every level from Absolute Beginners (both children and adults) to the most advanced of players. Players of all standards can pick their way through each day, making their own programme of workshops in many folk styles - Shetland, Swedish, Hungarian, Irish, Cuban, English Scottish and more... with technique and style as well as plenty of great tunes to take home.

More info

There will be free music throughout the weekend and a pop art exhibition from acclaimed artist David Owen. Last year David took over Southbank Centre, London with a large-scale installation challenging common perceptions of morris dancing and the opening of a new debate on English dance.

Accommodation

This event does not have camping but there are a number of hotels, hostels and guest houses in the area.

More information will be here when available.

Latest Updates

Fiddles on Fire
festival home page

last updated: Thu 10th Mar 2016

Fiddles on Fire 2011
festival details

last updated: Tue 8th Feb 2011